Bill was born and raised in Ireland, and lived in London in 1973. He moved to Toronto in 1974. He first performed as a vocalist for various Rock ‘n Roll bands in Ireland in 1967.

In 1969, Bill began playing guitar on stage and has stayed with it as his main instrument ever since. Throughout this period, he maintained an interest in the music of his native Ireland, and would occasionally confuse, and usually please, rock audiences with a solo voice guitar rendition. Bill fills The Crook with a wide variety of sounds and a larger than life personality that works well in the room.